Some of the biggest names in auto insurance have raised rates that drivers in Tennessee must pay next year, in some cases out-distancing the 4 percent average rate hike seen nationally for the industry as a whole in the second half of 2009.

That includes increases of 6.5 percent on average for Allstate Indemnity Co. and GEICO Indemnity Co. The state Department of Commerce and Insurance reviews and approves insurers' requests.

State Farm, the biggest player in auto insurance statewide, meanwhile, has requested a 0.8 percent increase to take effect in February for new policies, and in March for renewals. Nationwide, rates have gone up about 4 percent over the past six months, said Robert P. Hartwig, president of the Insurance Information Institute. "Costs of premiums could rise simply because costs of the ingredients — all of the inputs into the policy — have risen," Hartwig said.